Friday, February 1, 2019

For years, the Tappan Zee Bridge connected Rockland and
Westchester Counties. It was a very impressive structure, with much of the
bridge being more like a highway just above the water. Towards the Westchester
side, the bridge sloped upwards to become a suspension bridge, so that boats
could travel freely beneath it.

It was determined that after decades of use, the bridge was
beginning to fall apart. A new bridge was constructed and completed a few
months ago. It was renamed the Mario Cuomo bridge, in memory of the late former
governor of New York.

The question then became what to do with the old vacant
bridge. The original plan was to dismantle it with hydraulic cranes, and cart
it away piece by piece with a barge. But engineers soon determined that the bridge
was too unstable and feared it could be dangerous to leave standing for the
time it would take to slowly dismantle it.

The new plan was to dynamite the main structure and collapse
it into the Hudson River. It was decided that it was best to do so during the
winter when it would have the least effect on the marine life in the river.

The detonation was originally scheduled for a weekend but had
to be postponed because of high winds.

On January 15, 2019, at 10:52 a.m. the explosives placed on
the old bridge were detonated, and the east anchor span of the bridge dropped
into the Hudson River in a cloud of smoke. Hundreds of spectators on both sides
of the river witnessed the event.

It is fascinating to think that what had been the road to
cross the Hudson River for so many years is no longer. If one tried to drive
along the same route that had driven for so many years, he would find himself
in the Hudson River. The new bridge was built close to the old one, but it
required entirely new structure with updated technology for its construction.

In life, we are constantly seeking out the proper path to
follow. But this world is somewhat fluid and unstable, with new challenges and
vicissitudes arising constantly. What was the road to greatness yesterday -
spiritually, economically, technologically, in parenting, educationally, etc. -
yesterday, perhaps for many decades, may no longer be the proper course to
follow today. That old road may have fallen into disrepair requiring a fresh
new path, sometimes over uncharted waters, in order to forge ahead.

When Devorah the Prophetess uttered her magnanimous song
after the miraculous defeat of Sisra and his armies, she described how when the
enemy invaded the roads became deserted because they were dangerous for travel.
When the enemy was vanquished, the roads were reopened and the nation was once
again able to travel freely (See Shoftim 5:6-7).

It is reminiscent of what occurred in 1967, when the road
leading to Yerushalayim was reopened to Jews, after having been blocked off for
19 years, with the fall of the old city to the Jordanians during the War of
Independence.

Sometimes we need to rediscover old roads by seeing what
worked in the past that may again be the key to success. At other times, we
need to be courageous enough to admit that the old road is no longer suitable
for travel, and a new road must be constructed. Einstein once quipped that
insanity is doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting different
results.

Ultimately, the Torah is the path of truth - unalterable and
indomitable. Our struggle is to figure out how to ensure that our path in this
world is always in confluence with Torah.